Oakland mayor

7:59pm

Politics

Libby Schaaf was sworn in as Oakland's new leader on January 5th, 2015. After she won decisively in the November election, we wanted to learn more about the former city councilwoman. She came into the KALW studios to talk about everything from leadership style, balancing family life with running a city, and what makes Oakland unique.

5:19pm

Politics

Mayor Jean Quan is the incumbent in the race, and she's been making the case for Oakland to give her a second term. But in the past four years, her leadership of the city has received mixed reviews. She has been criticized for her crackdown of the Occupy encampment. She has also been taken to task for troubles in the controversial Oakland Police Department, which has had a federal monitor and rapid turn-over at the top. But Quan says the city is better off than it was four years ago. She says violent crime is down and the city is finally on the right track.

2:00pm

Politics

Courtney Ruby is Oakland's City Auditor who now wants to be Oakland's next mayor. Ruby says her priority is public safety and since she has experience crunching the numbers she's convinced that she can find the funds to add at least 200 more police officers on the street. Not just any kind of officer, Ruby's rallying for more engaged officers and says she's not afraid to take a stand on tough issues.

In the past Ruby has taken on City Hall and forced the city to refund millions in overpaid parking tickets. She's known for questioning shady contracts and exposing what she calls "a broken system."